E list
ISSN 2058-2196
the
Your cultural life in and around Walthamstow No.31 • October 2015
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Fellowship is Life
W
hich comes first, good art or good politics? With the election of Jeremy Corbin are we about to see an explosion of agit art? Seeing Jeremy standing alongside Billy Bragg reminded me of those days in the early eighties when the most vocal of our generation was using music and art to voice their offence at the unfairness of the world. It was a very different time before consumerism had really taken hold, and before the emergence of art as a business that worshiped diamond encrusted skulls. In spite of the excesses of the Brit Art movement, which seemed to be largely measured by the size of the price tag, several artists have emerged whose work can be seen as essentially thoughtful or political, and three of them appear in this issue. Bob and Roberta Smith is the alter ego of E11 resident Patrick Brill. On page 16 Patrick discusses his new Smith show at the William Morris Gallery. It is called Art is your human right and much of the work on show is from his election campaign this year standing against then education minister Michael Gove. He was using art to protest against what he saw as Gove’s debasement of art in schools. In the feature he relates his political use of art and graphics to that of the work of William Morris. In Brill’s generation, Grayson Perry and Jeremy Deller have also highlighted the influence of Morris. Both artists are referred to on page 14, as they have generously supplied original artwork to the postcard raffle in support of Walthamstow’s much loved community hub, the Mill and the Forest Night Shelter. Tickets are amazingly only a pound each. Whereas in the eighties many had the perceived injustices of Thatcher to rally against, austerity is beginning to be seen in a similar light today and is motivating artists nationwide. At the beginning of October we list several local anti-austerity gigs under the banner of “we shall overcome”. For a very different form of dissent see our cover star Raewyn Harrison’s Protest Bottles opposite, echoing those famous school milk bottles Thatcher snatched. Right, those at the front will be able to hear the creak of my knees as I get down from my soap box. I hope you agree that the writing and photography of the contributors in this month’s issue is very high and that the magazine provides a ‘good read’ now the nights are drawing in. If so can I ask you to take a few minutes to complete our Readers’ Survey (details on page 15)? Finally to me it’s the time of year when pubs really come into their own, providing an inviting warm golden glow as the evenings start to chill. That’s where you’ll find me reading this month’s Walthamstow Diary. Paul Lindt, Editor editor@theelist.co.uk @TheEList_e17
The E List
The Secret – a new musical for Halloween Travelling Companions a poem by Harriet Proudfoot The Fun Palace pops up at Vestry House The Greatest Little Art Show THE E List Reader Survey Bob and Roberta Smith at the William Morris Gallery Walthamstow Toss Hidden Lives: Nigel Mantell - A projectionist’s life Sean and Leticia Vasquez of Leytonstone’s Artefacto Wilcumstowe Times: Made in Walthamstow Local Hero - Alison Jones of Shapeshifter Productions Walthamstow Diary
12 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 22 24 27
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Cover
Mud Larking Vessels
This page Top: Willow to Willow Middle: Stoke Bottles Bottom: Mud Larkeing Vessel Opposite Top: NHS Protest Bottle Bottom: Protest Bottles
Middle: Two Bridges
You’re originally from New Zealand, but have spent most of your adult life in Walthamstow. What do you love about the place? I came to the UK in 1988 for a year and fell in love with London immediately. I still enjoy the big city contrast to growing up in New Zealand and find Walthamstow a good place to live as there is a genuine community spirit. What drew you to ceramics? I have always been lucky to have creative jobs and ceramics was an attempt at doing something new at a time when I was a mother with toddlers. What started as an interesting pastime rapidly turned professional after I graduated with a two year Fine Art Diploma in Ceramics from the City Lit. Your work seems to focus on some dark themes, can I say you play politics with pots? They encapsulate a mourning for the decline and loss of our industrial past and a way of life. I make forms with a strong narrative inspired by a place, structure or event. Ceramics is the art form most used to commemorate and has a strong resonance with memory. I am interested in things that have been forgotten or were never considered worth remembering. I like how something
And finally this month sees you take part in MADE London the design and craft fair. This will be the third year that I am doing MADE London which is my favourite show. It’s in a beautiful building designed by Sir John Soane and has a special buzz with 150 makers. I will be showing some new Mud Larking vessels and Thames River Boxes. I also have a new body of work based on some very bizarre WWII coastal defences in the Thames Estuary. Interview by Paul Lindt
MADE London 22-25 October 2015 One Marylebone London NW1 4AQ Opposite Great Portland St tube For opening times and tickets go to
www.madelondon.org
COVER STAR Raewyn Harrison can be brought back to life when it’s reinterpreted through a modern lens. Looking through old maps of the Thames at the London Metropolitan Archive led to my Mud Larking series. A trip to the closed Spode Factory in Stoke inspired making from industrial moulds. The gift of a little milk bottle grew into a political debate resulting in over 200 porcelain bottles protesting about the government’s austerity cuts. And all have a fragile beauty. I originally chose to work with porcelain as it provides a good blank canvas for my images. It can be difficult to work with but it has a delicacy and fragility that I like. Through varied making processes I can produce buttery throwing lines, slip cast dribbles and paper torn edges. 1
ART
BOOKS
CRAFTS
DANCE/FITNESS
FAMILY
FILM
GARDENING
HISTORY
MUSIC
FOOD
SHOPPING
THEATRE/COMEDY
This month in town
OCTOBER
Thursday 1
Saturday 3
WMG Late: Child’s Play William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP Discover the dark side to classic fairy tales through music, poetry and spoken word and take part in creative activities, because drawing isn’t just for kids. Part of the Big Draw festival. Curated by the Vine Collective. 6.30-10.30pm. FREE, no need to book. 020 8496 4390 wmg.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wmgallery.org.uk
Walthamstow Village Monthly Gardening Day Meet in Village Square on Orford Road E17 9NJ Wear sturdy shoes/boots and if you have them bring gardening gloves; all other equipment will be provided. 10.30am-12.30pm. 07814 042499 helen@walthamstowvillage.net
Bring Your Own Popcorn: Movie Night The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Road E11 4EL Free movie showing on first Thursdays at the Northcote. See website for film listings. FREE. 020 8518 7516 www.thenorthcotee11.com Red Imp Comedy presents Barry Cryer & Ronnie Golden Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA SOLD OUT, returns only. Visit the website for stop press news or email Red Imp to join the mailing list. redimpcomedy@gmail.com www.redimpcomedy.com
Friday 2 We Shall Overcome at The WO The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill Road E17 5RG Nationwide fundraising weekend to raise money for local food banks and protest against austerity economics. Featuring Dana Immanuel & The Stolen Band, The Old Dry Skulls, The Coypus and Nat The Hammer. 7-11pm. FREE with a collection. events@the-wo.co.uk www.the-wo.co.uk Shelley & the MPGs The Function Room, 3 The Avenue, Highams Park E4 9LB Shelley & the MPGs (Nag’s Head Stowaways) play jazz, soul and Motown. 8.30-11.30pm. FREE with a collection. Shelley Twinn 07903 271877 shelley@alphabeck.co.uk Eastern Front Soundsystem The Chequers, 145 High Street/Storey Road E17 7BX Balearic, disco & leftfield sounds from Eastern Front Soundsystem all night long. Kicking the weekend off in style. 8pm-12am. FREE. twitter.com/easternfrontdjs
Rise Up Singing with Waltham Forest Voices The Victoria, 188 Hoe Street E17 4QH If you can shout, sing, pluck a string or bang a drum, come and learn songs to sing and shout in protest against the politics of greed, violence and division. 9.30-11am. 07801 756863 juliajubilada@gmail.com www.losotros.co.uk Harvest Flower Festival Baptist Church, 4 Greenleaf Road E17 6QQ Enjoy our displays and café with hot and cold refreshments/snacks. Funds raised for the Nepal Earthquake Appeal and Aftercare. Donate fresh food for Branches and packaged food to Mill Grove Children’s Home. 10am1.30pm. FREE entry 07519 874649 www.greenleafbc.wordpress.com Blackhorse Market 1-2 Sutherland Road Path E17 6BX Monthly streetfood and makers market. This month’s theme is cycling with our pop up Cycle Surgery! 11am5pm. FREE entry info@blackhorseworkshop.co.uk www.blackhorseworkshop.co.uk
Fun Palace at Vestry House Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH A weekend of free family activities inspired by local inventions. E17 based Slap Haddock will also premiere a new family-friendly performance The Toy Maker at 12.30, 2 and 3pm each day. 12-5pm. FREE, just drop in. 020 8496 4391 vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house The Stones Throw Market St Johns Church Hall, High Road Leytonstone E11 1HH Popular makers and retro market. Includes local designers, retro homeware, vintage clothes, local honey and plants, tea and homemade cakes. 2-6pm. FREE 07875 334084 Twitter @stonesthrowe11 stonesthrowmarket@yahoo.co.uk Ceilidh Night Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR In support of Walthamstow Toy Library & Play Centre enjoy the Barney Ceilidh band. A fish & chip supper is included! 7.30pm-12am. £10 in advance. e17toylibrarymanager@gmail.com We Shall Overcome at The WO The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill Road E17 5RG Details as Fri 2 except line-up includes The Outbursts, The Battered Saucepans, The Stow WSO Band, Graham Larkbey, Krix Panx, The Lucky Face, Arty Parker and John Ellis. 6-11.30pm. We Shall Overcome at The Sinbin Sinbin at The Plough & Harrow, 419 High Road, Leytonstone E11 4JU Musicians, artists and promoters - for one weekend - let’s do what we do but let’s do it under one unified banner. 4pm-12am. FREE with a collection towards homeless and other needy charities. spoon@soundeventsolutions.co.uk
Open Day and Fundraising Sale Waltham Forest Resource Hub (North), 58 Hall Lane E4 8EU Grab a bargain and help us raise funds for our work in Waltham Forest. 100s of books, DVDs and CDs on sale. Bake sale with home made cream teas and cakes, handcrafted blankets and cuddly toys. 11am-3pm. £1 Emma Tozer 020 8558 5512 info@ageukwalthamforest.org.uk
We Shall Overcome with What’s Cookin’ What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemens Club, 2 Harvey Road, Leytonstone E11 3DB Local foodbank fundraiser with music from Miraculous Mule, Morton Valence, Alan Tyler, Jack Sharp (Wolf People) and Steve White. 7-11.30pm. Entry donation minimum of £5. Stephen Ferguson 07904 210218 ramblinsteve@whatscookin.co.uk http://whatscookin.co.uk
Mixtape at the Movies The Chequers, 145 High Street/Storey Road E17 7BX The soundtrack of the suburbs for John Hughes junkies, riot grrrls, b-boys, grunge kids and metalheads. A cinema soundtrack spectacular, with guest DJs from Disco 2000. 8pm-12am. FREE. facebook.com/group/mixtapee17
Wide World Music Walthamstow Cricket, Tennis & Squash Club, 48a Greenway Avenue E17 3QN This month there’s gypsy swing by the Phil Grispo Orchestra and a DJ set by African Night Fever’s Ebou Touray. 8-11.30pm. £7.50, conc £6, over 5s £3. liz_fenton@hotmail.com
Sunday 4 Walthamstow Wetlands Walk & Talk Meet at Ferry Lane entrance, opposite Ferry Boat Inn, outside Ranger’s office, Walthamstow Wetlands N17 9NH Find out about the transformation of the Walthamstow reservoirs into one of the largest urban, wetland nature reserves in Europe on this leisurely 2 hour walk and guided tour of this wonderful oasis. Sorry no children or dogs are allowed on site at present. 10am-12pm. FREE but please book a place by email. walthamstow@wildlondon.org.uk BARA Bike Ride Meet outside Carlton House, behind Natwest, Aylmer Road off High Road Leytonstone E11 3AD Meet at 10.30am. FREE. The Sunday Cycle Meet at The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA A friendly, group bike ride. Meet at 11am, return by 1pm. FREE. katjarosenberg@hotmail.com. Fun Palace at Vestry House Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Details as Sat 3 Auntie Maureen’s Autumn Vintage-a-Fair Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR This long-standing, vintage fair offers art deco and mid-century style fashion and design plus a quality tea room inside the charming 1950s ballroom of Orford House Social Club. No dedicated wheelchair access but help on site. 11am-5pm. £1, under 15s FREE. 07432 430386 ask@auntiemaureen.info www.auntiemaureen.info Rock ‘n’ Roll Sunday The Trades Hall, 17 Hoe Street (entrance in Tower Hamlets Road) E17 4SB Enjoy a good ol’ fashioned knees up, with DJ Jerome spinning the finest timeless tunes from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Get ready to bop, twist and jive or just sit back and enjoy the music. 2.304.30pm. FREE. Waltham Forest Culture 020 8496 3000 culture@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wfculture.eventbrite.com She Shall Overcome Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA She17 presents an afternoon of music by seven great female acts in the downstairs bar. Free entry but with a collection raising funds for AgeUK and Eat Or Heat. 2.30-5.30pm. www.she17.com
Sunday 4 continued
Events marked
kid friendly
2 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.
WA LT H A M S TOW ’ S R E P E RTO RY CINEMA
B E SPOKE PRIVATE CINE MA HIR E AT HOME VE N U E OR E LS E WHE R E AVA ILA BLE
P R E - B O O K ED CHILDREN'S B I RT H DAY PA RT I E S AT O U R K I D S' FILM LOUNGE
F ULLY LICE NS E D B A R WITH DJS & LIVE MUSIC
ORGANIC & VEGGIE H OT D O G S , ICE CREAM, POPCORN. P R E - B O O K ED P I Z Z A AT T H E P I C T U RES
S T OW F I L M L O U N G E . C O M S T OW FIL M L O U N G E @ G M A I L . C O M T EL : 0 7 9 1 0 6 4 3 9 8 7 ST O W F I L M L O U N G E @S T O W F I L M L O U N G E ST O W F I L M L O U N G E
WA LT HA M STOW C EN T R A L
H O M E VEN UE O RF O RD H O US E S O CI A L CLUB 73 O RF O RD ROA D WA LTH A M S TOW E17 9Q R
To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 3
ART
BOOKS
We Shall Overcome with Walthamstow Folk Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Steve Suffet and Steve White & The Protest Family provide a celebration of music and culture and a show of solidarity to those affected by cuts and austerity. 7.30-10.30pm. FREE. 07740 612607 info@walthamstowfolk.co.uk www.walthamstowfolk.co.uk Leyton & Stone Designers Craft Market The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Road E11 4EL Lively, monthly Sunday market in refurbished pub with local designer/ makers selling their wares. Handmade clothing for adults and kids, scarves, bags, homewares, jewellery, yummy chocolates and more. Child and dog friendly venue. 12-5pm. FREE admin@leytonandstonedesigners.co.uk www.leytonandstonedesigners.co.uk
Monday 5 Club Mellow Men’s Group ELOP/ LGBT Centre, 56-60 Grove Road, E17 9BN A space for gay, bi- or trans* men who have sex with men who want to meet up with others in a friendly, supportive environment. 7-9.30pm. £2. Richard 0208 509 3898 info@elop.org www.elop.org
CRAFTS
Leyton Tea Dance Leyton Great Hall, Adelaide Road E10 5NN Fancy a cup of tea and a twirl round the dance floor? Social dancing with music from DJ Malcolm ‘Mr Wonderful’ Fernandes. Doors open 1pm, dancing 1.30-4pm. £5 info@mrwonderfuldancing.com 01322 290 751 Celebrating 50 years of Waltham Forest Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH To celebrate the borough’s 50th anniversary Lindsay Collier, local historian, gives a talk about the four books he has written on the history of Waltham Forest. 7-8pm. FREE. 020 8496 3000 culture@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wfculture.eventbrite.com
Wednesday 7 Under 5s Nature Explorers Aveling Centre - Lloyd Park, Forest Road E17 4PP For under 5s and parents/carers on the first Wednesday of the month. Starting with craft activities, a ramble around the park. then snacks and story time. 10am-12.30pm. FREE. Vicky Peet 07870 678571 v.peet@tcv.org.uk
Stow Knitters The Bell, 617 Forest Road/Chingford Road E17 4NE A friendly, informal group of knitters and crocheters, meeting at The Bell on first and third Monday of each month. All welcome, whatever level of experience. 7-9.30pm. FREE. travelknitter@hotmail.com www.facebook.com/groups/stowknitters
Ye Olde Rose Open Mic Night Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Experience a mix of talent at this very popular open mic night. With everything from music to comedy there is sure to be something for all tastes. Performers can sign up on the night. 7.30-11.30pm. FREE. Andy Mirror 07940 260558 andy@mirror-mic.com
Stormy Monday Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA An evening of blues on first Monday of the month, hosted by the Battered Saucepan Blues Band plus guests. 8.4511pm. FREE.
E17 Baby Social The Trades Hall, 17 Hoe Street (entrance in Tower Hamlets Road) E17 4SB Grown up music, grown up chat. A twice monthly social for parents/carers and your babies/toddlers. 2-4pm. £3. e17babysocial@gmail.com
Tuesday 6
E17 Cook Book Club Email for venue details A foodie social evening, everyone brings a dish to share and their cook book inspiration. Theme this month: ‘South Indian’. 8.30-10.30pm. £2. walthamstowfoodies@hotmail.co.uk www.walthamstowfoodies.com/e17cook-book-club
Waltham Forest Reiki Project Waltham Forest Community Hub (formerly the Asian Centre), 18a Orford Road E17 9LN Rei-ki refers to the life force energy that runs through all living things. When ‘ki’ is strong your body and mind is in a positive state of health. Come along with an open mind, first Tuesday of the month. 7-9pm. FREE but donations welcome. Andy 07940 260558 walthamforestreikiproject@gmail.com
Beverly Smith & John Grimm What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Exservicemens Club, 2 Harvey Road, Leytonstone E11 3DB Old time folk, haunting archaic banjo and fiddle tunes, to raucous hillbilly singing from Georgia couple. 8.3011pm. FREE with a collection. http://whatscookin.co.uk
DANCE/FITNESS
FAMILY
Heathcote Quiz Night Heathcote Arms, 344 Grove Green Road E11 4EA Get a team together for this fun, monthly pub quiz. 8pm-12am. £2 each. Charrisse 020 8558 4882
Thursday 8 Creative Kids: Brer Rabbit William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP Create your own prints of Brother Rabbit, William Morris’s design based on the naughty folk hero. Organised in partnership with Lloyd Park Children’s Centre for the under 5s. Two sessions: 10-11.30am and 1-2.30pm. FREE, but booking essential. 020 8496 4390 wmg.bookings@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wmgallery.org.uk Avin A Giraffe Leyton Technical, 265b High Road, Leyton E10 5QN Monthly comedy night: 6 brand new acts, established headliner and host. See pub posters and online for updated line ups. Tickets available at the bar or on the door. 8-11pm. £4. 0208 558 4759 leytontechnical@anticlondon.com www.leytontechnical.com
FILM
East Lonesome Drifters The Victoria, 188 Hoe Street E17 4QH Country, Western Swing, Bakersfield and Bluegrass. 9-11.30pm. FREE. Katie Roberts 07714 092611 juliajubilada@gmail.com
Friday 9 Volunteer Open Day William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP Learn new skills and get involved in your community by becoming a volunteer at the William Morris Gallery or Vestry House Museum. Meet staff and volunteers and find out how to apply. 10am-5pm. FREE, just drop in. 020 8496 4390 wmg.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wmgallery.org.uk Benign Samuel’s “SAMUEL not SAM!” The Stone Space Gallery, 6 Church Lane E11 1HG Private View. “The lens is my paintbrush.” B9. Samuel Is photography art? Occupying the cusp of what is traditionally considered art, and photography, this exhibition sets out to answer that question. You be the judge. 6.30-10.30pm. FREE. www.thestonespace.wordpress.com
Come and celebrate Ray’s birthday with Walthamstow musicians and R A I S E F U N D S for St Mary’s Church Bells’ Restoration in memory of WVRA President Raymond Swingler (8 October 1933 – 20 July 2015)
Thursday 8 October 2015 - 7.30pm
At St Mary’s Church, 8 Church End, Walthamstow E17 9RJ DONATIONS to Church Bells’ Fund on the night or on-line at https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/bellsofStMarysE17 Entry: FREE Wine and snacks available at the end
Events marked
kid friendly
4 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.
FOOD & DRINK
GARDENING
HISTORY
Stow Film Lounge presents Second Coming (2014, Cert 15) Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR A tense, elusive, time-hopping portrait of a recognisable hard-working London family starring Idris Elba and Nadine Marshall. Doors: 7.45pm, film 8.30pm, close 12am. Tickets: £8.50/£6.50 conc. Ticket/food from £14 (pre-book only) 07910 643987 Book at www.stowfilmlounge.com or on the door if not sold out
Apple Day at Vestry House Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH This popular community event celebrates the healthy, humble, tasty apple. Highlights include apples for tasting, pressing and bobbing by Organiclea, food by Norman Loves, produce for sale, live music and children’s activities. Drop-in. 11am4pm. FREE, small donations welcome. 020 8496 4391 vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house
Preview of ‘The Secret’ / Viper The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill Road E17 5RG Last chance to hear the full cast perform original songs from “The Secret” musical before it opens on October 30th plus covers from Viper to rock up the end of the night. 9-11pm. FREE. Marcus 07754 666532 http://thesecretmusical.com
Wine Tasting Evening Waltham Forest Sports & Social Club, behind Town Hall, 703 Forest Road E17 4JF The Vin Van presents a wine tasting experience with 6-8 restaurant quality wines plus informal chat and a glass of Prosecco. 7-10.30pm. £5. Ray Spalding 020 8527 3944 www.wfsocialclub.org.uk
Saturday 10 Volunteer Open Day William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP Details as Fri 9. Storytelling and Ring Game from Afrika and the Caribbean Walthamstow Library, High Street E17 7JN A fun filled and energetic interactive workshop, for children of all ages. With tales from all over Afrika and the Caribbean including Anansi and Krik Krak stories. 10.30-11.30am. FREE. 020 8496 3000 culture@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wfculture.eventbrite.com Music Concepts for Artists: Modulation The Ancient House, 4 Church Lane E16 9RW Artists’ workshop exploring how to get from one visual area to another, using a process similar to music modulation. You will complete several exercises and gain inspiration. Bring drawing materials. Suitable for experienced visual artists. 10.30am-12.30pm. £15, £12.50 conc. Virginia Firnberg 07813 116505 info@wavyline.org www.wavyline.org Stow Kids’ Film Lounge presents Cinderella (2015, cert PG) Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR Gorgeous live-action version of the classic children’s story starring Cate Blanchett as the wicked stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter as the fairy godmother. Doors: 10.30am, film 11am, close 1pm. Tickets: £5.50 per child, child party package £11, acc adults £4, under 2s free. 07910 643987 Book at www.stowfilmlounge.com or on the door if not sold out Events marked
The Jam Junkies The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill Road E17 5RG Good time pub rock outfit returns to The WO for more high octane fun! 8.30-11pm. FREE with a collection. www.the-wo.co.uk
Sunday 11 Walthamstow Family Bike Club Meet outside Ancient House, Orford Road/Church Lane junction, Walthamstow E17 A relaxed and sociable ride around open spaces and cafes in and around Waltham Forest. 1-5pm. FREE. 0208 520 0648 paul.gasson@gmail.com Family Printing Activity: Discovering the Line Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Artist Ania Bas leads a drop-in printmaking workshop for all the family. Experiment using vegetables, rollers and printing blocks to create patterns and textures inspired by the lines we see around us. Part of Art on the Underground’s programme ‘Underline’. 1.30-4pm. FREE. 020 8496 4391 vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house E17 Designers’ Autumn Market Waltham Forest Community Hub, 18a Orford Road E17 9LN Stop, shop and socialise: artists and makers at our regular autumn event. Special guest winesellers Burgess & Hall, music from The Coypus. Entry includes free drink and chance to win a goody bag. 2.30-6pm. £2, under 16s FREE. www.e17designers.co.uk
MUSIC
SHOPPING
Melrose Quartet at Walthamstow Folk Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Nancy Kerr and James Fagan join forces with Jess & Richard Arrowsmith for a true folk supergroup. 7.30-10.30pm. £10, £9 concs. www.walthamstowfolk.co.uk Musical Aquarium Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Jerome and Lindsay will be diving into the tank, and playing their own eclectic brand of music for your Sunday lunchtime listening! 1-4pm. FREE. www.jeromelanderson.com
Monday 12 Stowtellers: The Walthamstow Storytelling Club The Welcome Centre, St Mary’s Church, 8 Church End E17 9RJ Join us tonight for a Storyround - bring a story to tell or song or ballad to sing, or just come to listen! Find Stowtellers on Facebook. 7.30-9.30pm. £3. stowtellers@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday 13 Club Mellow 50+ LGBT Afternoon Tea ELOP/LGBT Centre, 56-60 Grove Road E17 9BN For LGBT men and women 50+ to socialise with afternoon tea and cake. 2.30-4.30pm. £2. 0208 509 3898 info@elop.org www.elop.org Club Mellow 18-25s Group ELOP/ LGBT Centre, 56-60 Grove Road E17 9BN For young LGBT people to meet up in a friendly, supportive environment. 7-9.30pm. £2. 0208 509 3898 info@elop.org www.elop.org
COMEDY/THEATRE
Friday Hill Neighbourly Knit & Stitch Pimp Hall Nature Reserve, Off Kings Road/Friday Hill E4 7HR A friendly, monthly craft group. Suggested donation £3. outreach@significantseams.org.uk
Wednesday 14 The Vaga Band What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemens Club, 2 Harvey Road, Leytonstone E11 3DB Mixture of soulful country blues and gypsy jazz from 8-piece band. 8.3011pm. FREE with collection. http://whatscookin.co.uk
Thursday 15 Pre-school Pumpkins & Apples Waltham Forest Town Hall, 701 Forest Road E17 4JF For ages 2-5. Interactive storytelling and rhymes. Get creative with our fun pumpkin and apple craft activities. 10.15-11.15am. £4.95 per child. 0207 332 1911 eric.henderson@cityoflondon.gov.uk Selfie: Narcissus Explored Artefacto 476 High Road E11 3HN Opening Party/Meet the Artists. Multimedia group show dedicated to self portraiture. 7-11pm. FREE.
Saturday 17 Music Concepts for Artists: Drones The Ancient House, 4 Church Lane E16 9RW Artists’ workshop exploring how to use the musical concept of drones in your work. You will complete several exercises and gain inspiration. Bring drawing materials. Suitable for experienced visual artists. 10.30am12.30pm. £15, £12.50 conc. Virginia Firnberg 07813 116505 info@wavyline.org www.wavyline.org Elvis Is Back! Waltham Forest Sports & Social Club, behind Town Hall, 703 Forest Road E17 4JF The great Jon Burrows returns as Elvis! £8 www.wfsocialclub.org.uk
kid friendly
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ART
BOOKS
Saturday 17 continued The Big Draw at the Temple The Temple, Wanstead Park E11 2LT Come and enjoy a day of drawing in and around The Temple. All ages and abilities welcome. 11am-3pm. FREE. 0207 332 1911 eric.henderson@cityoflondon.gov.uk Bilingual Group Workshop and Play Session The Limes Community and Children’s Centre, 6 Somers Road E17 6RX Join our workshop with tips for parents raising their children with more than one language, and share experiences with other parents over coffee while the children have fun using the fantastic facilities of The Limes. 3.30-5.30pm. FREE. Claire 07770 860038 info@wfbilingual.org.uk www.wfbilingual.org.uk The Greatest Little Art Raffle Draw in E17 The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA Closing raffle of this exhibition of original art on postcards by ‘secret’ local artists, celebrities, school kids and Very Famous Artists! All postcards will be offered as prizes, and artists names revealed, in this fundraising raffle in support of The Mill and Emergency Night Shelters. Tickets £1 each from The Mill and Debbie Bliss Home, 36 Orford Road, E17. The more tickets you buy the greater your chance of a win. Ticket sales close 1pm with the draw taking place from 3-5pm. Mo 020 8521 3211 info@themill-coppermill.org www.themillcoppermill.org Noel Coward’s Star Quality Harmony Hall, 10 Truro Road E17 7BY A comedy set in 1940’s England. Sparks fly as director Ray Malcolm and temperamental actress Lorraine Barry lock horns in rehearsing a new play written by a new playwright. 7.3010pm. £10, £8 seniors, £5 under 16s. Kath Wood 0208 923 5416 starlighters12@gmail.com www.starlighters.webeden.co.uk The Per$ecuted The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill Road E17 5RG Exceptional country-rock outfit, marrying brilliant songwriting with their own dynamic energy. Always exciting and entertaining. 8.30-11pm. FREE with a collection. www.the-wo.co.uk
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CRAFTS
Harry Violet & The Sharks / The Shades What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemens Club, 2 Harvey Road, Leytonstone E11 3DB Sax-driven rock and roll, dive-bar jive and 12-bar stompers from Harry Violet. R’n’B from The Shades. 8.3011.30pm. FREE with collection. http://whatscookin.co.uk
Sunday 18 Forest Philharmonic Orchestra Concert Walthamstow Assembly Hall, Forest Road E17 4JD Elgar’s Symphony No 2, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 1 with Stephen Hough and Rossini’s Thieving Magpie overture. In aid of The Thai Children’s Trust. Conductor Mark Shanahan. Free pre-concert talk. 6.30pm. £10 stalls (concs £8), £15 balcony (concs £12), under 26 £3, family £10 (1 adult, 1 child) 020 8521 8541 tickets@forestphilharmonic.org.uk www.forestphilharmonic.org.uk Noel Coward’s Star Quality Harmony Hall, 10 Truro Road E17 7BY Details as Saturday 17 Oct Grace Petrie at Walthamstow Folk Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Grace is emerging as one of the UK’s most prolific and respected songwriters. Songs that provide a soundtrack to the modern struggle. 7.30-10.30pm. £7, £5 conc. www.walthamstowfolk.co.uk
Monday 19 Stow Knitters The Bell, 617 Forest Road/Chingford Road E17 4NE A friendly, informal group of knitters and crocheters, meeting at The Bell on first and third Monday of each month. All welcome, whatever level of experience. 7-9.30pm. FREE. travelknitter@hotmail.com www.facebook.com/groups/stowknitters
Tuesday 20 E17 Baby Social The Trades Hall, 17 Hoe Street (entrance in Tower Hamlets Road) E17 4SB Grown up music, grown up chat. A twice monthly social for parents/carers and your babies/toddlers. 2-4pm. £3. e17babysocial@gmail.com
Wednesday 21 Anna Lucas & The Wonders What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Exservicemens Club, 2 Harvey Road, Leytonstone E11 3DB Husky voiced country blues from Anna Lucas and her band who feature pedalsteel supremo BJ Cole. 8.30-11pm. FREE with collection. http://whatscookin.co.uk
DANCE/FITNESS
Thursday 22 Transform The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA Meet the artists of this group show all about transformation. 6.30-8.30pm www.themillcoppermill.org Fidelio Trio St Mary’s Church Walthamstow, 8 Church End/Church Hill E17 9RJ Piano trios by Antonin Dvorak, Camille Saint-Saens and Judith Weir. 7.30pm. £13, £6.50 conc on the door. 0208 223 0772 villagemusic@walthamsoft.com East London on Film St Gabriel’s Family Centre, Side Hall, Havant Road E17 3JF A selection of films made on aspects of life in London recently restored by students at the British Film Institute. Tea & coffee served from 7.15pm. 7.45-9pm. £1.50, FREE to members. 07792 750017 walthamstowwalks@mz48.myzen.co.uk www.walthamstowhistoricalsociety.org.uk Los Otros at the Vic The Victoria, 188 Hoe Street E17 4QH Enjoy the mellow sounds of jazz standards or get up and dance to swing and Bossa Nova in the Victoria’s cosy upstairs bar. 9-11.30pm. FREE. www.losotros.co.uk Payday Disco Waltham Forest Sports & Social Club, behind Town Hall, 703 Forest Road E17 4JF The popular disco returns to the Social club. 8pm-12am. FREE. www.wfsocialclub.org.uk
Friday 23 Magic Lantern show Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Back by popular demand! Gary Heales reveals highlights from the Museum’s eclectic collection of lantern slides, including images of the Lea Valley in the 1930s. 2-3pm. FREE, drop-in. 020 8496 4391 vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house Bakers Arms Book Group The Hornbeam Café, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH An informal, friendly book group. This month it’s Nothing to be Frightened Of by Julian Barnes. Tea, coffee, wine available. New members welcome, just turn up. 7.30pm. www.hornbeam.org.uk Five Women Wearing the Same Dress Welsh Church Hall, 881 High Road Leytonstone E11 1HR Irreverent, touching and laugh out loud funny play by the author of American Beauty and True Blood. 8pm. £8, £5 conc in advance. £9, £6 on the door. Group discounts available. www.woodhouseplayers.co.uk
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Stow Film Lounge presents What We Do In The Shadows (2014, cert 15) Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR Starring Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement this hilarious comedy chronicles the adventures of four vampire roommates trying to get by in a modern world that’s not always hospitable to the undead. Doors: 7.45pm, film 8.30pm, close 12am. Tickets: £8.50/£6.50 conc. Ticket/food from £14 (pre-book only) 07910 643987 Book at www.stowfilmlounge.com or on the door if not sold out
Saturday 24 Music Concepts for Artists: Cadences The Ancient House, 4 Church Lane E16 9RW Artists’ workshop developing nuanced boundaries around different areas in your work. Using the musical concept of cadences (notes/chords that create finality in music) you will complete inspiring exercises. Bring drawing materials. For experienced visual artists. 10.30am-12.30pm. £15, £12.50 conc. Virginia Firnberg 07813 116505 info@wavyline.org www.wavyline.org Stow Kids’ Film Lounge presents The Goonies (1985, cert PG) Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR Adventure comedy about a group of teenage misfits’ quest to find buried treasure to save their neighbourhood from being turned into a golf course. The film debut of LOTR’s Sean Astin. Doors: 10.30am, film 11am, close 1pm. Tickets: £5.50 per child, child party package £11, acc adults £4, under 2s free. 07910 643987 Book at www.stowfilmlounge.com or on the door if not sold out Urban Explosion! Library Youth Takeover Leytonstone Library, 6 Church Lane E11 1HG Don’t miss this evening of the best music, dance, comedy and spoken word from up-and-coming local artists. This will be a unique experience. Also seeking singers, rappers, DJs, comedians, dancers or spoken word artists to perform. 7-9pm. FREE but booking required. www.wfculture.eventbrite.com for tickets and how to apply to perform. The Higham Flyers The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill Road E17 5RG The Flyers are now a pared-down three-piece with a crisp no-nonsense sound and sharp, tight energy. Covers you forgot you loved and originals you’re going to love. 8.30-11pm. FREE with collection. events@the-wo.co.uk www.the-wo.co.uk
kid friendly
6 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.
FOOD & DRINK
GARDENING
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress Welsh Church Hall, 881 High Road Leytonstone E11 1HR As Fri 23 except two performances. 2.30pm & 8pm.
Sunday 25 Waltham Forest Cycling Campaign Monthly Ride Meet at Walthamstow Library, High Street E17 7JN Distance and destination decided by riders on the day, but usually maximum of 30 miles. Will include a snack stop. 10am-3pm. FREE. robert@wfcycling.org.uk Walking Stories in Springfield Park Meet at the cafe, Springfield Park E5 9EF You don’t come to see Walking Stories, you create it. It’s simple - follow instructions on the headset provided, wander around Springfield creating patterns as you go, and lose yourself in music and words. Suitable 7+ and all fitness levels. Part of Dance Umbrella 2015. Absolutely no dance experience necessary. Book online for sessions at 11am, 1pm & 4pm. £15, £10 conc. 0207 257 9380 www.danceumbrella.co.uk Vintage/Retro Event Function Room, The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill Road E17 5RG Retail opportunity for cool vintage, retro and kitsch goods. Clothes, household items, jewellery, books, brica-brac, collectables, music, curios and more. 11am-4pm. FREE entry Sandra 07956 221710 sandrahome@ntlworld.com Be Bop Baby The Trades Hall, 17 Hoe Street (entrance in Tower Hamlets Road) E17 4SB Live music and dancing in the afternoon for all the family. Bar, friendly, buggy parking, face painting, crafts for older kids. 1-4pm. £4, £3 in advance. 07813 156140 Bebopbabydance@gmail.com www.bebop-baby.co.uk Cool Sunday Afternoon Jazz The William Morris Bar, 807-811 Forest Rd E17 4JD Cool Blue Note era jazz from the Paul Kaufman trio + guests. 1.30-4.30pm. www.thewilliammorris.co.uk RE:HAB Presents Open Mic Wild Card Brewery, Unit 7, Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall Street E17 9HQ London’s premier open mic night. Free entry and free drink per performer. 5.30-9.30pm. FREE. Email rehabpresents@gmail.com or follow on Twitter @rehabpresents or find on Facebook RE:HAB
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HISTORY
MUSIC
SHOPPING
COMEDY/THEATRE
Sunday Screen at the Museum: Now, Voyager! (1942, cert U) Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH “Don’t let’s ask for the moon. We have the stars.” Classic romantic drama with Bette Davis and Claude Rains. A spinster is driven to a nervous breakdown by her domineering mother but recovers with a psychiatrist’s help. She takes an ocean voyage leading to self-fulfilment in an unexpected way. Doors: 2pm, film 2.30pm, close 5pm. Tickets: £5.50/£4.50 conc senior citizens/under 12s/students/ unemployed Book at www.stowfilmlounge.com or in person at the Museum Ben Moss & Laurel Swift at Walthamstow Folk Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA With a punchy, infectious style of playing that defies anyone not to dance and sing along, Ben and Laurel sing and play folk music from a wide variety of sources. 7.30-10.30pm. £7, £5 conc. www.walthamstowfolk.co.uk
Monday 26 Walking Stories in Springfield Park Meet at the cafe, Springfield Park E5 9EF Details as Sun 25, at 1pm and 4pm Board Games Evening The William Morris Bar, 807-811 Forest Rd E17 4JD We’ve got over 50 different games for you to play. 7-11.30pm. £2.50 www.echo17events.co.uk
Tuesday 27 A Celebration of Light Lloyd Park, Forest Road E17 4PP Inspired by Diwali, we’ll make clay Divas and decorate them with leaf and seed prints. For families of all ages. First come, first served. Drop-in any time. 11am-2pm. FREE. Vicky Peet 07870 678571 v.peet@tcv.org.uk Club Mellow 18-25s Group ELOP/ LGBT Centre, 56-60 Grove Road E17 9BN For young LGBT people to meet up in a friendly, supportive environment. 7-9.30pm. £2. 0208 509 3898 info@elop.org www.elop.org Josh Kemp Quartet Gnome House, 7 Blackhorse Lane E17 6DS Fresh from a 30-date UK tour saxophonist Josh returns with his rich tone, fluid and melodic improvising style and attractive compositions. Includes music from latest album Tone Poetry. 7.30-10.30pm. £8, £5 conc. www.e17jazz.com/whatson
Walking Stories in Springfield Park Meet at the cafe, Springfield Park E5 9EF Details as Sun 25, at 1pm and 4pm
Wednesday 28 Half-term activities: Holiday Fun for Everyone Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Join Waltham Forest’s Family Learning Team to enjoy a lively range of arts and crafts activities linked to the Museum displays. Drop in, for families of all ages (children must be accompanied). 10.30am-3pm. FREE. Sharon Trotter 020 8496 4391 vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house Puppet Performance: Sigurd the Volsung William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP E17 Puppet Project perform their sell out show Sigurd the Volsung, created exclusively for the Gallery and based on Morris’s Icelandic Sagas. For families with children aged 6+. Doors 6pm for 6.30pm start. FREE, but booking essential. 020 8496 4390 wmg.bookings@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wmgallery.org.uk
Thursday 29 Dream Walthamstow Collage Higham Hill Library, North Countess Road, E17 5HS Who lives in your dream Walthamstow and what stories do they have to tell? Join the Climbing Frame and help us create a giant Walthamstow illustration full of fantastical stories, magical places and hilarious characters! Part of The Big Draw 2015. 1-5pm. FREE. 020 8496 3000 culture@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wfculture.eventbrite.com
Halloween Activities Lloyd Park, Forest Road E17 4PP Join Forest Knights to make besom brooms and do pumpkin carving. For families of all ages. First come, first served. Drop-in any time. 11am-2pm. FREE. Vicky Peet 07870 678571 v.peet@tcv.org.uk
Friday 30 Dream Walthamstow Collage Wood Street Library, Wood Street/Forest Road E17 4AA Details as Thurs 29, except new venue Halloween Late at the Museum! Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Celebrate Halloween in our atmospheric Museum. There will be a children’s trail, spooky entertainment, cocktails and drinks, patisserie by Aura Rosa and a Murder Mystery Trail. Dressing up encouraged. A Museums at Night event. Suitable for all ages. 6.30-10pm. Adults £3, kids free. Amy 0208 496 4391 vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house The Secret The Deaton Theatre, Forest School E17 3PY A haunting tale for Halloween. It’s 1986 and four East London girls are going on holiday. An original musical from the Hollow Ponds Drama Society. 7.30-10pm. £10 Marcus 07754 666532 marcusadrian193@aol.com http://thesecretmusical.com Five Women Wearing the Same Dress Welsh Church Hall, 881 High Road Leytonstone E11 1HR As Fri 23. 8pm. Walthamstow Gay Meet-up The Chequers, 145 High Street/Storey Road E17 7BX A friendly, convivial evening of likeminded people having a great time over a drink or two with good conversations, fun and lots of laughter. 8-10pm. FREE, but £5 per year for group membership jf@gpn.one
kid friendly
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ART
BOOKS
Friday 30 continued Black History Comedy Night Walthamstow Assembly Hall, Forest Road E17 4JD Another brilliant night of comedy and music hosted by Robbie Gee & Eddie Nestor featuring Curtis Walker, Glenda Jaxson, Kae Kurd, Roger D, Junior Booker, Judy Love and singers Ayanna, Tippa Irie and Peter Hunnigale. 7.3011.30pm. £10, conc available for over 60s and under 16s www.wfculture.eventbrite.com The Bevvy Of Blues Jam The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill Road E17 5RG Another outing for our popular and successful blues night featuring house band The Bluetone Groovers and a host of amazingly talented jammers. 8-11pm. FREE with collection. events@the-wo.co.uk www.the-wo.co.uk TequilaSTOW Wynwood Art District, 2A Chingford Road E17 4PJ Neat & Rocks presents a night of Tequila, Mezcal & Mexican inspired street food. Tequila & Beer bar open 9pm-12am; ticketed event 7-9pm including food and drinks 07880 913191 ryan@neatandrocks.co.uk
CRAFTS
Black History Charity Show Harmony Hall, 10 Truro Road E17 7BY A night of local talent. Break Tha Cycle Presents a Black History Charity Show with a difference! Singers, poets, spoken word and drumming. 7-10.30pm. £9.50, early bird tickets £7.50 Break Tha Cycle 07535 280467 info.breakthacycle@gmail.com twitter.com/btcycle1 Fork to Fork Seasonal Supper Club The Hornbeam Café, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH Delicious, healthy & tasty food – locally sown, grown, picked & cooked. We cater for all special dietary requirements – please alert us to them when you book. 7.30-10.30pm. Three courses for £18! www.hornbeam.org.uk
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Saturday 31 The Secret The Deaton Theatre, Forest School E17 3PY Details as Friday 30 Dream Walthamstow Collage Walthamstow Library, High Street E17 7JN Details as Thurs 29, except new venue Family Day: “Art makes children powerful” William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP Flex your creative muscles with drawing activities to make you strong in body and mind, inspired by Bob and Roberta Smith’s exhibition at the William Morris Gallery. Drop-in event for families with children of all ages. Part of the Big Draw festival. 1-4pm. FREE 0208 496 4390 wmg.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wmgallery.org.uk Five Women Wearing the Same Dress Welsh Church Hall, 881 High Road Leytonstone E11 1HR As Fri 23 except two performances. 2.30pm & 8pm.
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Every week/Whole month Sundays until 17 Jan NEW Sunday Serial: Oliver Twist Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Rediscover a Dickens’ classic, read aloud by local actors in 15 weekly parts during the Museum’s Workhouse exhibition, bringing the novel alive in atmospheric surroundings of this former workhouse. 11.15am-12pm. FREE, just drop in. Sharon Trotter 020 8496 4391 vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house Mondays NEW Youth Theatre 11-14 & 1518yrs Gnome House, 7 Blackhorse Lane E17 6DS Come and make your own show from scratch in these small and friendly drama classes. Create characters, share stories, and then perform your show with costumes and props! 11-14 year olds 4-5.30pm, 15-18 year olds 5.307pm. £5 trial class. £8 per session, £80/£70 per term Grow Your Own Theatre 07740 343240 sarah@gyot.org.uk www.gyot.org.uk
DANCE/FITNESS Until 3 October Walthamstow: Photography Exhibition The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA Nine photographers’ interpretations of Walthamstow in pictures. Tues-Thurs 10am-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-2pm. FREE. www.themillcoppermill.org 2-31 October NEW Science! Pictorem Gallery, 383 Hoe Street E17 9AP A group exhibition of paintings, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and animation on themes of Science! This is Art! Science! Fusion! by artists [The Test Department] based mainly in Walthamstow, with a small crew from Norwich! Tues-Sat 9am-5.30pm. FREE. www.pictoremgallery.com 8 October-1 November NEW Benign Samuel’s “SAMUEL not SAM!” The Stone Space Gallery, 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone E11 1HG “The lens is my paintbrush.” B9. Samuel Is photography art? Occupying the cusp of what is traditionally considered art and photography, this exhibition sets out to answer that question. You be the judge. Thurs, Fri 2-6 pm, Sat 12-5pm, Sun12-4pm. FREE. www.thestonespace.wordpress.com 9-17 October NEW The Greatest Little Art Show & Raffle in E17 The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA Exhibition of original art on postcards by ‘secret’ local artists, celebrities, school kids and Very Famous Artists! All postcards will be offered as prizes, and artists names revealed in the closing fundraising raffle in support of The Mill and Emergency Night Shelters. Tickets £1 each from The Mill and Debbie Bliss Home, 36 Orford Road, E17. The more tickets you buy the greater your chance of a win. Ticket sales close 1pm Saturday Oct 17 with the raffle draw taking place from 3-5pm. Exhibition hours Tues-Thurs 10am7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am2pm. FREE. Mo 020 85213211 info@themill-coppermill.org www.themillcoppermill.org 10 Oct-1 Nov NEW Making Waves Walthamstow Village Window Gallery, Village Square/47 Orford Road E17 9NJ WVWG’s debut show of contemporary paintings, collages, photographs and video inspired by or reminiscent of crashing waves or gentle ripples as a metaphor for the potential energy of this new, unusual exhibition space. gallery@wvwg.co.uk www.wvwg.co.uk
FAMILY
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15 Oct-15 Nov NEW Selfie: Narcissus Explored Artefacto 476 High Road E11 3HN Multimedia group show dedicated to self portraiture. Tues-Sat 11am-7pm. FREE. Tuesdays until 13 October Art & Animation The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA Focusing on the flora, fauna and architecture of Walthamstow, we’ll experiment with printing, poetry and animation. Open to adults of all abilities regardless of experience or artistic talent. Booking essential, limited spaces. 10.30am-1pm. FREE. Hatt Reiss 07808 403307 hattreiss@gmail.com www.themill-coppermill.org 16 October-31 January NEW Art is Your Human Right: The artistic campaigns of Bob and Roberta Smith William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP This exhibition follows the campaigns to fight back at the downgrading of art in schools by leading artist, Patrick Brill (Bob and Roberta Smith). Combining film, placards, sculpture, banners and even his slogan-covered campaigning van. The show includes a new film, Art is Your Human Right: why can’t politics be more fun? and presents the artist’s hopes and fears for the future. WedsSun 10am-5pm. FREE. 020 8496 4390 wmg.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.wmgallery.org.uk 22 October-5 December NEW Transform The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA A group show all about transformation. Walthamstow artists respond to the changing seasons, the cycles of life, decay, re-birth and magic in a variety of artistic media. Tues-Thurs 10am-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-2pm. FREE. www.themillcoppermill.org Until 17 Jan 2016 The Workhouse: Life on the Edge in 18th Century Walthamstow Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Exhibition telling the fascinating story of how Vestry House Museum was once the Parish Workhouse. Revealing the building’s dark past and opening archives to uncover the everyday reality of life in Walthamstow’s Workhouse. 10-5pm. FREE. 020 8496 4391 vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house Thursdays Bongalong Music for under 1s St Gabriel’s Family Centre, Side Hall, Havant Road E17 3JF For under 1s. Details as for under 5s except 1.30pm start & 2.30pm start.
kid friendly
8 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.
FOOD & DRINK
GARDENING
Tuesdays until 1 Dec Introduction to British Archaeology Shernhall Methodist Church Hall, Shernhall Street/Oliver Road E17 9HX 11 session adult education course. Looking at archaeological evidence from the prehistoric period to the recent past, using national and some local case studies. 7.30-9.30pm. £8, FREE if on certain benefits WEA 0800 328 1060 walthamstow.branch@wea.org.uk www.london.wea.org.uk Tuesdays Plays of David Hare The Greenleaf Centre, 67-69 Greenleaf Road E17 6QP Adult education studying Hare’s plays Skylight, Amy’s View and My Zinc Bed. 10am-12pm. £8, FREE if on certain benefits WEA 0800 328 1060 walthamstow.branch@wea.org.uk www.london.wea.org.uk Mondays & Thursdays Waltham Forest Bridge Club Quaker Meeting House, 1a Jewel Road E17 4QU Duplicate Bridge for those looking for a club or a social player wanting to try club bridge? Host available on Mondays. 7.30-10pm. £5, members £4 (annual subscription £10) 07919 401409 cathy.macnaughton@yahoo.co.uk www.bridgewebs.com/walthamforest Mondays Red Lion Quiz Night The Red Lion, 640 High Road, Leytonstone E11 3AA Creative challenges, general knowledge, mystery & bonus rounds. £50 cash prize and super rolling jackpot! 7.30-11.30pm. 020 8988 2929 www.theredlionleytonstone.com Tuesdays Quiz All Over Your Face The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Road E11 4EL Weekly quiz with cash prize for the winner. Free round of shots for the best team name. £1 per person entry. 7.4510pm. £1 Gary Hudson 020 8518 7516 tuesday.northcotee11@yahoo.com Tuesdays Pub Quiz The Bell Pub, 617 Forest Road E17 4NE Hosted by local celebrity Rowan McIntyre. Come flex those brain muscles every Tuesday night for your chance to take home the money! 8pm. £1.50 www.belle17.com
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kid friendly
HISTORY
Tuesdays Cheeky quiz night The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Rd E11 4EL Cheeky quiz that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The winning team have the option of writing a round for the following week! 7.30-10pm. £1 020 8518 7516 tuesday.northcotee11@yahoo.com Wednesdays Leyton Technical Quiz Night 265B High Road, Leyton E10 5QN Weekly general knowledge pub quiz with music and picture rounds. £50 cash 1st prize, bottle of wine for 2nd and other spot prizes. 8-10.30pm. £2. http://leytontechnical.com Tuesdays and Thursdays Magic Box: Interactive storytelling sessions Mothers Hub, 133 Wood Street, E17 3LX What’s inside the Magic Box today? Join a host of different characters, from Dahlia the Dinosaur to Captain Wonkynose, as they lead you on exciting and interactive storytelling adventures. Coffee and cake included! 10-11am. £4 or £6 for 2 kids magicboxe17@gmail.com www.magicboxstories.com Thursdays until 15 Oct Kids Art Club The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA 5 weekly sessions of themed creative activity for children, 3 years and up. Must be accompanied. Can be messy! 3.30-5pm. £1 per child per session. Mo Gallaccio 020 8521 3211 info@themill-coppermill.org www.themill-coppermill.org Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays Bongalong Music for under 5s St Gabriel’s Family Centre, Side Hall, Havant Road E17 3JF For under 5s. Fun, creative music, movement and make believe - a lively mix of singing, dancing, let’s pretend and fab percussion instruments. Two sessions each day starting at 10 & 11am. £5.25 booked termly. 07811 460282 fiona.bongalong@gmail.com www.bongalong@gmail.com Saturdays Walthamstow Village Market Henry Maynard School, Wilson Street entrance E17 9LT A weekly produce market supporting local farmers, producers and hot food traders. 10am-3pm. www.walthamstowvillagemarket.com
MUSIC
SHOPPING
COMEDY/THEATRE
SCIENCE! Pictorem Gallery ART! SCIENCE! FUSION! 3rd - 31st October Test Department
Matthew Krishanu
Della Rees
Martin Adams
Paul Lindt
Alan Smith
John Das Gupta
Shaun McGlinchey
David Sullivan
Aaron Fickling
Johanna Melvin
Paul Tucker
Jim Jack
Nicholas Middleton Tana West
Stephen Jarvis
Nick Powell
Simon Whittle
Preview Friday 2nd October 6 - 9pm 383 Hoe Street Bakers Arms Walthamstow E17 3AP Tuesday - Saturday 9am - 5.30pm
Saturdays OrganicLea market stall The Hornbeam Café, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH Organic and local sustainably grown fruit, vegetables, homemade bread, jams and preserves. Healthy Start vouchers can be used. 10am-3pm. www.organiclea.org.uk/we-sell-food/ our-market-stall Saturdays OrganicLea market stall with Transition Leytonstone Between St John’s Church & Matalan, High Road, Leytonstone E11 1HH As above. 10.30am-3pm. www.transitionleytonstone.org.uk Sundays Farmers’ Market Town Square, Walthamstow E17 4HU Stalls offering a changing, seasonal selection of meat, game and poultry, cheese, eggs, fruit, vegetables, cider, baked goods, honey, plants and herbs, seafood, pies, quiches and cakes. Please note, some stalls may take a week off without notice. 10am-2pm.
Thursdays Tiny Tempo Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH Fun introduction to musical conceptsusing singing, instrument playing, listening and dancing! With guitars, ukuleles, and a lot of energy, fun is had by all. 9.30-10.30 for under 18 months, 10.30-11.30 for 18 months and older. £5 for one child, £8 for two. www.hornbeam.org.uk Sundays Karaoke Night Lord Raglan, 199 Shernhall Street E17 9HX Beat the blues and come and have a cheeky Sunday session. Prima Donnas will be laughed at, all talent welcome! 8-11.30pm. FREE. Archie or Maureen 020 8520 2145 www.facebook.com/lordraglane17 Tuesdays East Side Jazz Club Tommy Flynn’s, 692 High Road, Leytonstone E11 3AA Weekly modern jazz club featuring the UK’s best jazz musicians in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere with plenty of seating. The music room has its own bar with real ale. 8.30-11pm. £6 cash on door only. NB stairs access only. Clive Fenner 020 8989 8129 eastsidejazzclub@gmail.com http://eastsidejazzclub.blogspot.co.uk
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ART
BOOKS
CRAFTS
DANCE/FITNESS
FAMILY
FILM
GARDENING
HISTORY
MUSIC
FOOD
SHOPPING
THEATRE/COMEDY
Classes/Courses Tuesdays Significant Seams, 131 Wood St E17 3LX outreach@significantseams.org.uk Sew & Tell: ESL with Zelda (term time) Come along and learn English (and sew!) in a friendly environment. 10am-12pm. £3. Thursdays Significant Seams (as above) Supportive Sewing Circle Friendly crafting group for everyone. Bring your current project or get stuck into one of our community ones. 1-3pm. £3. Tuesdays Sew & Tell ESL with Significant Seams Significant Seams, Leytonstone Library , 6 Church Lane E11 1HG Come along and learn English (and sew!) in a friendly environment. 10am12pm. FREE. esl@significantseams.org.uk www.significantseams.org.uk Saturdays (term-time only) Piano for Children Mission Grove School, Mission Grove Road E17 7EJ For ages 4 and up. An introduction to piano and music. Half-hour group classes taught by professional musician and composer. 10 classes bookable in advance. 10.30am-12.30pm. £7.50 per class, discounts available Rachel Wedderburn 07568 157028 rachelbettelley@hotmail.com Sundays (term-time only) Natural Voices Senior Youth Choir Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR For ages 11-20 this is a fun funky choir. No experience required. 11am-12pm. £6, concession for block payments. Lizzy 07950 204338 naturalvoices@hotmail.co.uk www.naturalvoices.co.uk Weds & Thurs (term-time only) Natural Voices Choir Sessions Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR This fun funky choir has sessions for adults of all abilities and all ages on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Check website for more details. 7.30-9pm. First session FREE, £10, discount for block payment Lizzy 07950 204338 naturalvoices@hotmail.co.uk www.naturalvoices.co.uk
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Wednesdays NEW The Singing Room Choir E17 Side Hall, St Gabriel’s Family Centre, Havant Road E17 3JF A community choir with no audition, everyone welcome. Singing four-part a capella including folk, world, pop, gospel and more. We perform locally and beyond supporting local charities and Water Aid. 7.30-9.15pm. £7, paid for in blocks of 10. Anna Williams 07931 372996 annamusicmakers@gmail.com Wednesdays (term-time only) Natural Voices Pub Choir: Leyton The Northcote Arms Pub, 110 Grove Green Road E11 4EL Join our fun, funky pub choir. Beginners welcome. Grab a drink, make new friends and sing your heart out. 7.309pm. First session FREE, £8 thereafter, or £10 drop-in. Lizzy 07950 204338 naturalvoices@hotmail.co.uk www.naturalvoices.co.uk Mondays Waltham Forest Community Choir St Mary’s Church, 8 Church End/ Church Hill E17 9RJ Open to all living or working in Waltham Forest. A friendly choir with a wideranging repertoire from Faure to Folk via Gospel, African and Pop Classics. New members welcome anytime - no audition required. 7.30-9.30pm. £5 and termly subscription. 07954 740745 members@singwithus.net www.singwithus.net Mondays Life Drawing in Leytonstone The Plough & Harrow, 419 Leytonstone High Road E11 4JU Untutored life drawing sessions, poses up to 45 min long. Spacious venue, relaxing atmosphere, friendly and sociable. Drop in any time during session as no pre-booking needed. Includes art materials, tea and biscuits. 7.30-9.30pm. £6. Jennifer Wolf 07792 892405 J_wolfmail@yahoo.com Thursdays Daytime Choir for Parents & Childminders St Michael & All Angels Church Hall, Northcote Road E17 6PQ A great way to start the day, come and sing with this friendly group. All abilities welcome. Bring your little ones, we have toys to entertain them! 10-11am. £5. east17singers@gmail.com
Alternate Sundays, 11 & 25 Oct Life drawing Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH Create original art in front of a life model. All materials provided. Advance booking essential. 3-5pm. jonathan.ellis@mac.com or text 07980 713819 Saturdays Hip Shake Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR Rhythm & Blues Dance Party with jumpin’ tunes from the 1940s & ’50s to keep you dancing all night! 8-11.55 pm. £8, £5 students Claire Austin 020 8829 0919 info@londonswingcats.com http://www.londonswingcats.com Mondays Yoga Relaxation The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA Gentle, relaxing yoga class for all levels and abilities with gentle postures and breathing techniques to promote physical and mental wellbeing. Great for de-stressing, reducing high blood pressure, improving strength and flexibility. Mats available, please email in advance if you have any health issues. 6-7pm. £10 per class, £5 conc. £90 for ten class pass. josetta 07554440499 josettayoga@hotmail.co.uk www.yogaeastlondon.com Mondays Jacky’s Fitsteps Waltham Forest Community Hub, 18a Orford Road E17 9LN Dance fitness to ballroom and latin music-no partner required. 7.308.30pm. £6. £20 for 4 classes in advance. Jacky Logan 07715 421 349 jacjuke@aol.com http://www.jackysjukebox.co.uk Mondays Jivamukti Yoga East of Eden, Studio 1, 14 Hatherley Mews E17 4QP A dynamic vinyasa based yoga class that follows the Jivamukti method. All mats and equipment provided. For full timetable and booking see website. 6.30-7.45pm. £13, discounts available info@edeneast.co.uk www.edeneast.co.uk Wednesdays Community Dance Company: Creative Dance & Choreography Gnome House, 7 Blackhorse Lane E17 6DS A fun, dance group for adults. Choreographed sequences individually and as a group and opportunities to perform. Suitable for beginners. 7.309pm. £8, conc available. Clare 07939 125014 clarefarrow2@gmail.com
Thursdays NEW Progressive Yoga Class Quaker Meeting House, 1a Jewel Road E17 4QU Intermediate yoga class with a dynamic flow to move your practice on into energy-building sequences, binding etc, plus we’ll break down Position of the Month (full wheel) to understand and master. 8.05-9.05pm. £9. Eliza Moore 07710621268 yogamehappy@yahoo.co.uk www.yogamehappy.co.uk Fridays Hatha Flow Yoga Back 2 Balance, 609 Forest Road E17 4PP A smaller class for closer individual attention. A gentle but refreshing lunchtime practice working with breath and movement. Please book ahead. 12-1pm. £9, or 6 for £48. 07919 595665 yoganessy@gmail.com www.yoganess.org Saturdays Iyengar yoga class St Andrew’s Church Hall, Church Road E17 6AR The practice of Iyengar Yoga is suitable for all, regardless of flexibility and age. It helps gain good health and improve posture and sleep, increasing stamina and flexibility. A general class, beginners welcome. 9-10am.£7.50. 07962 424 460 nicholetteyoga@gmail.com www.nicholetteyoga.com Saturdays Traditional Yoga Leyton Yoga, First Floor (above USSR), 691 High Road, Leyton E10 6RA An inclusive Yin-inspired Hatha class with Cathy Liddiard. Release tension, alleviate pain, find freedom in your body, breathe and de-stress. Open to all levels. No need to pre-book, just drop in. 10.30am-12pm. £12. leytonyoga@gmail.com www.leytonyoga.com Mondays Lloyd Park Walk for Women Meet outside the park cafe, Lloyd Park, Forest Road E17 4PP Friendly women-only walk. Improve your health and wellbeing whilst enjoying the outdoors and a good chat! All abilities welcome. Wear sensible clothing and flat shoes. 1010.45am. FREE. ellie.mortimer@walthamforest.gov.uk 0208 496 2822
For lots more dance and fitness classes please visit www.theelist.co.uk
kid friendly
10 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.
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FREE listings are available for events under £16, visit www.theelist.co.uk and select “List your event”. To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 11
The Secret Hitchcock’s birthplace inspires new thrilling theatre piece. Leytonstone is the backdrop for a new haunting musical - and the female-headed cast from Hollow Ponds Drama Society are looking forward to spin a spooky tale for audiences this Halloween. Starring Mimi Stone, Cerys Wilkin, Alice May and Helena Braithwaite - the four leading ladies take the audience back to a 1986 holiday in Ibiza where ‘a terrible thing occurs’ - and the ghostly secret unfolds in 2012 - where only three of them remain amongst a haunting presence… The scary tale unfolds in scenes set around Hollow Ponds, an ominous place after dark as any East Ender would know. ‘The Secret - the Musical’ was devised by local professional performers Angela Broome and Marcus Scroop - and is their first collaborative musical show - with an incredible 15 original songs. The drama society like to keep it local and rehearse at venues around E11, and the musical itself will take place over two days in the Deaton Theatre, Forest School - a venue very aptly bordering the Ponds themselves.
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Tel 07912 887588 www.valeriabonfiglio.co.uk Offering a sliding scale of fees English and Spanish
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The Secret Deaton Theatre, Forest School E17 3PY There are three performances, Friday 30 October at 7.30pm, Saturday 31st October at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets, £10 plus booking fee, are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/hollowpondsdrama. A preview of the songs will be performed by the cast at The Warrant Officer, Higham Hill, E17 on Friday 9 October
www.thesecretmusical.com
TRAVELLING COMPANIONS a poem by Harriet Proudfoot He was so still, I didn’t notice when I sat down next to him. I was reading my paper. Then round the corner of the page, I saw a clawed, grey paw. The red jacket’s collar was a furred neck, headphones neatly looped round his long ears long snout, jawful of big teeth and red inside – gums, tongue – all as they should be. I looked down. My shoe was touching a large grey foot with curved black claws. He didn’t ask where I was going. He got up at the next stop. He didn’t howl or bite or scratch. Silent, unassuming, he got off quietly. No-one made any comment. The first time I’ve sat next to a wolf on the 59 bus. Harriet Proudfoot is a member of Forest Poets and Tideway Poets. She has very much enjoyed working with E17’s excellent writers during the thirteen years she taught creative writing in Waltham Forest. Find Forest Poets on Facebook and Twitter @ForestPoets
12 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.
Toy Story To in-fun-ity and beyond; Fun Palace pops up at Vestry House.
©Esther Neslen 2015
Fun Palace - a UK-wide ‘celebration of culture in the community’ festival - pops up at Walthamstow’s Vestry House the first weekend of the month. This year’s highlight is a seriously nutty, brilliant show for all ages, ‘Walthamstow Firsts: The Toymaker.’ A spirited, genius play presented by E17-based theatre troupe Slap Haddock: who specialise in bringing great theatrical arts to odd venues and wide audiences. “Packed with silliness, fun and adventure” Slap Haddock invite us, of all ages, to delve laughing and curious (and curiouser) into the local historical toy chest. The 45 minute show brings to life E17’s past as the centre of the British toy industry, with real props galore from the museum’s archive. The Vestry House Fun Palace takes over the former workhouse and revamped luscious gardens with singing from the Natural Voices Youth Choir, arts and crafts with the Mill Knitters, plus great food and drink.
Fun Palace at Vestry House, Vestry Road, E17 9NH takes place Oct 2nd and 3rd from 12-5pm both days. Walthamstow Firsts: The Toymaker performances take place at 12.30, 2pm and 3.30. Shows are 45 mins long. Free admission, no booking required. For more info see www.slaphaddock.co.uk and www.funpalaces.co.uk
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E List Heroes Nat Di Maggio and Mo Gallaccio have joined forces to bring you
The Greatest little Art Show and Raffle in E17 Announcing an exhibition of 100 small scale pieces of original art, all of which can be won in a draw on the last day of the show. Read on for a chance to win an original Grayson Perry or Jeremy Deller! Nat Di Maggio ‘The chance to own a Grayson Perry doesn’t come along very often. So we’re really excited that someone is going to get hold of one for a raflle ticket costing only a pound. Also we’ve got work by Walthamstow legends Stella Creasy MP, Debbie Bliss MBE, Carne Griffiths and the young people from Whitefields Academy Trust.’ Mo Gallaccio ‘All the mini masterpieces are signed on the back, so the lucky winners won’t even know who they’ve won until they have their prize in their hands.
Thanks to our friends at The William Morris Gallery, Jeremy Deller is also submitting a postcard-sized artwork. Two Turner Prize winners in one show. How good is that! It’s all in a great cause. All money raised will go to The Mill, which is here to work with everyone in the local community and to the Forest Night Shelter, helping people who need a safe place to sleep.’
www.themill-coppermill.org www.forestnightshelter.org.uk/about-us
Raffle tickets £1 Available from: The Mill, until 1pm Sat 17 October and Debbie Bliss HOME, 36 Orford Road until 6pm Friday 16 October. Tickets also available through the online gallery until 6pm on 16 October. www.themill-coppermill.org/greatestlittleartshow Minimum spend online £5 (5 tickets)
Exhibition 9-17 October Tues - Thurs. 10 - 7pm, Fri - Sat 10 - 6pm, Sunday 11 - 2pm
Raffle Gala – Saturday 17 October Last chance to buy tickets. Guess the artists. Enjoy cake and singing from Natural Voices. Raffle draw 3 - 5pm
The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane, Walthamstow, London E17 7HA 020 85213211 e: info@themill-coppermill.org @TheMillE17 facebook.com/the.mill.e17 14
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www.themill-coppermill.org
Like to know WIN * you better £50 THE E List Reader Survey To help fund the magazine we’d like to attract advertisers who offer more of what you might want, so we’d like to know you better. Please visit www.theelist.co.uk/survey and fill in our short questionnaire. It’s totally anonymous unless you decide to leave your email address* to be entered into our draw to win £50. It should only take a few minutes. *email addresses will only be used to select and notify the draw winner and will not be retained, or used for any other purposes.
2 of 12 seasonal recipes
Yum Yum opening in Walthamstow soon!
Kang ped phed
red curry with roast duck SERVES 2 With the summer waning and the weather changing rapidly to wind and rain we felt something nourishing and warming should form our next recipe in our E-list series. Roasted Barbary duck breasts are excellent for this recipe. For a truly authentic taste try ready-prepared. Cantonese roast duck is available vacuum-packed from some oriental supermarkets.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
4 teaspoons of red curry paste (recipe for this can be found on our Facebook page) 2 tablespoons corn/vegetable oil 1 tin coconut milk 1 small aubergine, cut into chunks 300 ml chicken stock 2 teaspoons of salt 4 teaspoons of fish sauce A roasted duck breast thinly sliced 2 small chunks of fresh pineapple 100g bamboo shoots 2 cherry tomatoes 3 Thai long beans or 6 french beans cut into thirds 2 kaffir lime Leaves Handful of sweet thai basil leaves
1. In a heated wok mix the curry paste with the oil and cook gently for 1 minute. 2 Add half the coconut milk and then the aubergine chunks. 3. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. 4. Pour in the remainder of the coconut milk, the stock, the salt and fish sauce and continue simmering until the aubergine has completely softened - about 5 minutes. 5. Add the roast duck and all the other ingredients and stir thoroughly. 15
6. Cook gently for a further 5 minutes or until all the ingredients feel tender when tested with a fork.
PREPARE THIS RECIPE, TAKE A PIC AND POST IT ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE - BEST PIC WINS A MEAL FOR TWO AT YUM YUMS E17! Check T&C’s on our FB page yumyume17 To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 15
Why can’t politics be more fun? “All good art is political! There is none that isn’t.” So says the author Toni Morrison. In an era when art and creativity is being stamped on like a bug under a jackboot, art that doesn’t claim some sort of political responsibility has to wonder at its existence at all. In austerity UK, we have seen a squeeze on the arts, with more to come. If there was a time for artists and creative people to step up and use their voice to reverse the cultural implosion and the catastrophic decline of social mobility in the arts, now is the time. One artist that has is Patrick Brill, aka Bob and Roberta Smith, resident of Leytonstone. A vocal and creative opponent of governmental cultural policy, he stood against Michael Gove, former Education Secretary, in the 2015 general election, to make a point about the practical and ethical 16
devaluing of art and creative practice in UK schools. We are sitting in the Wild Goose Bakery on Leytonstone High Road, and started by talking about Smith’s upcoming exhibition in the William Morris Gallery. DT: Perhaps you could say a little bit about your upcoming exhibition in the William Morris Gallery. BRS: The exhibition is a show of five years of campaigning, but mostly about the campaigning around Michael Gove. A lot of footage I took on the campaign trail has been made into a film by John Rogers (Writer and Filmmaker, and Author of ‘This Other London”), called ‘Art is Your Human Right: why can’t politics be more fun’. That’s the main aspect of the show, the presentation of the new film about the campaign, and it’s in the William Morris Gallery (WMG). Morris is
an influence for me because he was a graphic artist. He was a huge campaigner at the end of the nineteenth century for socialism and equality, but also he was a graphic artist principally. And if you are interested in graphics, there’s something fundamental about making a mark and it communicating, and I see a link there. You would think that all his floral decoration is somehow at odds with his campaigning, but actually, as someone who is a painter, who makes marks, a lot of my work is about graphic communication. And also the entrepreneurial spirit of Morris, who’s selling these images, and I sell paintings when I can. So on a lot of different levels I see the idea of communication in the WMG as creating a great setting for this new film. DT: The interesting thing about Morris is that he raises the dilemma of conveying a
Photo © Paul Tucker www.paultucker.co.uk
Patrick Brill talks art and politics with Deborah Talbot prior to his alter ego’s Bob and Roberta Smith show opening this month at the William Morris Gallery.
political perspective in representational form. How would you say that you manage that dilemma?
is how children synthesise all these other experiences and knowledge. These are complicated questions though.
BRS: Morris would have thought that he, Pugin and the Pre-Raphaelites, were embracing a pre-Reformation, Catholic sense of decoration, and they would have thought that was a revelation. He wanted a sense of visuality to be distributed more widely in the population, yes, but I don’t think he would have seen an ambiguity there. Decoration is an interesting thing, because it distributes more easily than high art. It’s a kind of joyous low art, so decoration is a more democratic means of making art. And on some level there’s a resonance with what I do, because what I do is borne out of sign writing, advertising, decorative arts, in a way.
DT. My last question. You are playing your part in resisting what’s happening, and you are doing it through your art. How do you keep going?
‘Dear Mayoral Candidate…’, 2015, courtesy Bob and Roberta Smith
DT: What anyone creative is struggling with is how to create a space for art, for the outsider, for the countercultural. Where does that space exist? BRS: I think with radical political ideas there is almost a proliferation, like Podemos in Spain, Syriza in Greece, Jeremy Corbyn here. So there’s a kind of excitement about that. But radical political ideas that emerge from culture are a bit dead in the UK. The last time there was a countercultural moment in the UK was rave culture, and that was a long time ago. There hasn’t been anything like that, as far as I can discern, for a long time. I don’t think the world is raged against artists, but there is something in the birth of the internet which has made it difficult for artists to make any income out of their art. Also the rise of the power of cultural Svengalis, like Simon Cowell. You don’t really get groups of people making music in quite the same way. And that worries me. It’s like the culture of the 1950’s isn’t it, the manufactured Beverly Sisters sort of culture? The people
listening to it aren’t making it, they’re just consuming it. And then you have university fees, and the closure of Foundation courses and Access courses. It does make you despondent. DT: Is that your interest in schools? I wondered what role you think the arts have in transforming education? BRS: My interest in schools is how to reimagine a more equitable society from the standpoint of today. So with this show, the idea is to link the arts to something more fundamental about human beings, that art is important for freedom of expression. I think also that with education, and it started with Kenneth Baker, was this idea that every moment in the classroom is best made accountable, and it’s strange because it goes against Conservative ethos, like the Conservatives embraced Stalin or something. Baker probably raised standards, but he also unleashed an awful bureaucratic machine, which has ruined education really. There will be a moment where people will rely more on teachers to deliver, and that could be done quickly. The arts have to be central to education in schools, because art
BRS: What really keeps me going used to be, and it still is to some extent, turning on the radio and listening to the news. As I’ve gone on, I’ve realised that I do have some knowledge and authority to speak about art, and then these issues in the arts, started by the sale of the Henry Moore sculpture by Tower Hamlets. I realised I was the person who could tell that story of that sculpture, how it’s been London’s Guernica and that it should remain in the public domain. And then with Michael Gove, and the EBacc, and the exclusion of the arts from the core subjects, I just couldn’t let that go. These things prod you. A more recent thing has been talking about human rights, and that’s emerged as a result of a friendship with the surgeon David Nott, an incredible guy who goes out to Syria, so it’s thinking about that. The ironic thing of course is that Michael Gove is now Justice Minister, overseeing the repeal of the British Human Rights Act… DT: He does seem to follow you around. Thanks very much for talking to us.
Art is Your Human Right – the artistic campaigns of Bob and Roberta Smith is at the William Morris Gallery from 16th October 2015 to 31st January 2016. Deborah Talbot is Editor of Driftmine www.driftmine.org
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People often say one of the best things about living in Waltham Forest is their neighbours. They claim that, unlike other parts of London or even beyond, the people on their street are genuinely friendly and happy to look out for each other. Being friendly brings an added bonus in that once you do start talking, you might discover the most extraordinary stories emerging from seemingly ordinary people. In the third of this occasional series the E List shares another of these Hidden Lives.
Nigel Mantell - A Projectionist’s Life Anyone who owns an Italian-speaking parrot called Albert is bound to be a bit unusual (particularly when you find that Albert also does superb chicken impressions) but what makes Nigel Mantell really unique is not obvious at first meeting. Words: Jonathan Elliot. Photography: Simon Goodwin. The quiet modesty of this self-taught artist belies an intriguing mix of master cinema projectionist, painter and draughtsman, and most of all, perhaps, a stone sculptor of exquisite pieces reminiscent of Eric Gill. A successful exhibition at the Wanstead Art Trail this year, with plans for a show of new work is proof that Nigel has no intention of slowing down but the journey to this point in his artistic career is unusual to say the least. 18
In the late 1950s, an extra six months at school training to be a commercial artist lit a flame that has burned brightly ever since, but making a career in art proved unworkable and the young artist had to consider other ways of paying the rent. A steady job as an apprentice, then chief cinema projectionist beckoned. As Britain gradually shook off the postwar years of austerity and embraced the swinging 60s, Nigel learned and practised his craft of film
projection - a career that would last for nearly 40 years. “When I started out I got given all the dirty jobs, I had to clean the projectors every day, scrub the projection room floor and keep the boilers heating the cinema stoked with coal all day long and clear all the ashes out. No overalls, no masks, no health and safety, nothing, nearly everyone smoked. “ Next time you’re hurrying home from work in the winter
rain, looking forward to a night in with the latest release on Netflix in a warm, brightly lit home, it’s worth remembering what a school night in working class Walthamstow was like in 1959. There would be a good chance that there was no heating of any kind in your small overcrowded dwelling and a coal fire a luxury reserved for only the coldest nights. Once Hancock’s Half Hour was over, it was a library book or bed. But if you wanted to spoil yourself
and had a few pence to spare, cinemas of all shapes and sizes were within walking distance. The Century, The Rialto, The Gaumont and The Granada Walthamstow and Leyton was stuffed with them before TV and then the dreaded VCR started their decline. You could escape the chill of 50s Britain, light up a Woodbine and settle back to watch Vertigo, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or South Pacific in any of half a dozen venues in E17 and E10. If you managed to persuade your sweetheart to sit at the back, you might even get a snog. “People had nothing, many were living in slums, it was a night out, a grand night out, and it was warm.” Nigel told me. The famous Granada opened on Hoe Street in 1930, the first launched by the great media baron Sidney - later Lord - Bernstein (who would go on to build the Granada Television empire). It was the Granada chain that kept Nigel employed, while he toiled in his spare time on his love of painting and sculpture. Making a huge cinema come alive with sound and picture was not the plug and play job it is today. By today’s standards the technology was, well, literally, steam age. Lighting up the
screen needed bulbs based on industrial welding. The projector was fed a juddering ribbon of celluloid about the width of an iPhone, pressing each frame against a glass plate for a 25th of a second. The whole business was housed in a vast machine not much smaller than a telephone box. Each reel lasted 20 minutes so two projectors worked in tandem. Keeping the whole apparatus whirring to perfection was a team effort, leading it was a highly skilled job. Cinemas like the Granada were packed at weekends, its projection room running a Sunday night special with two and half thousand people in the house had all the urgency and concentration of a steam locomotive’s cab. A single mistake would mean a disastrous let down and careers could be made or broken by technology that was as unreliable as it was cutting edge. Young Nigel showed talent one night when the soundtrack of the latest hit started emitting a quiet but worrying clicking sound. Only the technically astute could tell anything was wrong, but Nigel knew that any minute, the whole system might blow and the crowd would be denied a crucial plot twist in
North By Northwest. The culprit was a red hot glass valve that was about to conk out, but Nigel saved the day. Wrapping a handkerchief around one hand, he signalled his mate to fade the sound out for a second while he whipped out the offending component and replaced it with a new one before anyone could tell anything was wrong and perfect sound was restored. Before long, the coveted role of Chief Projectionist was Nigel’s but all the time, he was developing his true love of painting and sculpture. In 1996 he made the break and committed himself to a full time career as an artist, working mainly in oils from his studio in the garden of his house. He exhibited alongside such famous names as Sir Peter Blake, Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol. At the age of 66 when many are thinking of slowing down, Nigel launched his career as a stone carver. Entirely self-taught, he started making original pieces in marble and Portland stone and giving demonstrations
around London, he quickly got commissions. Group shows followed and teaching for four years at the famous Abney Park Cemetery Trust in Stoke Newington. His second career celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, and is a testament to a steady determination to nurture a unique talent, while being part of one of the greatest entertainment industries of the 20th century.
Inside the Granda Cinema (currently the EMD) on Hoe Street.
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Sean and Leticia are a truly international couple. Sean, a highly respected member of the tattooing community, hails from Brooklyn and has studios in Vienna and Salzburg, while Leticia is Spanish/English, raised in Spain and the U.S., but returned to London, her mother’s birthplace, sixteen years ago. She has lived in Leytonstone ever since, the last six of them with Sean after he joined her there. Leticia’s background is in anthropology, visual arts and education and she is also a social activist, very involved in the concerns of the local community. Their first business was based in a large space in Netil House, Hackney, where they hosted events like live graffiti shows, and were very much part of the Whitechapel art scene. Rising rents and the logistics of the school run later prompted a move nearer home. Serendipitously, a neighbouring building was spotted for rent and they found in the landlord a kindred spirit, along with a new studio where they have remained. With its calming pale green walls and its antique velvet sofa in the window where we sit chatting, the studio has an almost cosy feel. There are curtains at the windows that can be drawn for privacy rather than the garish tattoo photos usually found plastered to studio fronts. I understand why when they start to describe their work to me. Leticia explains that theirs is a custom tattoo studio, “We don’t have designs you just point at. You come in with an idea and references, and we design it bespoke for you.” When customers do walk in off the street with a picture on their phone of a friend’s or celebrity’s tattoo, Sean and Leticia talk with them to try and establish exactly what it is about the image that’s appealing and then work with them to develop something that will be more personal.
Creating a body of work Between them, Sean and Leticia Vasquez have over 45 years of tattooing experience. Julia Spicer met them at Artefacto, their Leytonstone studio and gallery and discovered everything she wanted to know about tattooing but hadn’t dared ask. Portrait by Leonie Morse, all other photos by Sean Vasquez. 20
This reflects the huge responsibility they feel for what they do, effectively marking someone for life, and they stress the importance for the client of having a rapport with the person with whom they’ll be spending several painful hours during which the ‘beautiful wounds’ as Leticia describes them are made. Forget
the dismissive boasts you’ve heard about tattooing being a pain-free experience, Sean and Leticia are both emphatic that getting a tattoo hurts. It’s all part of the ritual, although everyone has differing pain thresholds and some body parts are more sensitive. So, I wonder, is anyone ever unable to get a tattoo completed? Again they are emphatic; they’ve never had anyone commit to work and be unable to finish. They gladly accommodate each individual’s needs and once the foundation lines are down, the clients may take as long as needed. They also admit to being bemused by the numbers of people who go from having no tattoos to very visible tattoos on their hands or necks, without a thought to the value judgements that may be made of them. The couple have, over their lives, acquired a significant number of visible tattoos and are only too aware of the
pioneered the local arts scene and the walls of their studio double up as space for the exhibitions Leticia curates. Each year their programme pays homage to three local born sons; Alfred Hitchcock, photographer David Bailey and Stuart Freeborn, Hollywood makeup artist, famous for his work on Star Wars. These shows are open to all-comers whose passion and commitment to the brief are valued over artistic experience. In addition they also host solo shows where they’re more selective and refreshingly ask artists to donate to charity e.g. WarChild in lieu of a submission fee. They take no commission for work sold, preferring that artists keep the money to help them continue creating. Their one frustration is that they don’t see many new faces at opening events, to which they evidently go to some trouble to make successful, clearing the studio of its tattooing equipment to accommodate guests. They acknowledge that it’s difficult
Tattoo by Sean Vasquez
just as I’m packing up, a local woman with her daughter who’ve arrived at the studio for an appointment, remarks that Artefacto is the only studio she has used where they have explained how the design on her brown skin tones may be affected by the changing seasons. She is clearly comfortable there; she had brought her daughter there for her first tattoo and is now having further work herself. I don’t know if I’ll ever find the courage to get that tattoo I’ve been considering for the past ten years or so, but when I do decide to get it done, I’ll definitely be heading up the Leytonstone High Road to Artefacto.
Selfie: Narcissus Explored Multimedia Group Show dedicated to Self Portraiture Artefacto 476 High Road Leytonstone E11 3HN Private view for this year’s Hitchcock show
adverse reactions they can cause, believing that they are treated differently in some contexts because of the way they look. But theirs have been considered decisions with which they are happy to live, marking as they do particular rituals or meaningful times in their lives. Leticia’s hand tattoos for example are those acquired by Berber women when they marry. And Sean cites his interest in acquiring tattoos by some of the oldest international tattooists, whose skills may have diminished, but “even if it’s not the best tattoo in the world I’m proud of it – it’s not always the artistic value, it’s your history.” As part of their commitment to their community the couple have also
October 15th-November 15th sometimes to get people to venture further along the High Road away from the main drag and a challenge to get people to engage with art for art’s sake without some other inducement. The great thing is they’re prepared to persevere.
Opening times: Tues-Sat 11-7
Opening Party/Meet the Artists: October 15th 7-11pm
Before leaving, I have one question about tattooing left to ask. Are you ever too old to get a tattoo? Short answer, “No!” Then I’m given an exposition on the morphology of the many differing skin types and pathological conditions and the importance of after care. Leticia’s parents are medics and they take that aspect of their practice extremely seriously. And To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 21
Architectural historian, Karen Averby uncovers curiosities and stories from Walthamstow’s rich and varied past
Made in Walthamstow In its heyday Walthamstow’s manufacturing industry was an impressive entity. Countless local people were employed in the production of a rather eclectic range of goods as varied as buses, surgical instruments, false teeth and ginger beer. Before the mid-19th century manufacturing in Walthamstow was largely absent, with the notable exception of 16th and 17th century coin minting by contract with the royal mint. Trades and occupations were small-scale affairs such as weaving, gravel-digging and the reselling of farm produce bought from markets at Romford and Epping. From the 18th century as the area became home to many wealthy families, the development of luxury trades such as lace menders and perfumers was introduced. However, a major shift towards urbanisation between the 1860s and 1890s as these families moved away and their former mansion grounds were developed with streets and houses saw the rise of the building trade and an influx of thousands of new inhabitants. Their skills and trades aided the increase in small-scale production including venetian
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blinds, clothing, looking glasses and picture frames, but the biggest change came in the 1890s when established manufacturers from elsewhere cast their eye upon the developing Walthamstow and environs, seeing potential for growth with its excellent transportation connections and crucially, a ready-made workforce. Land for the construction of new factories was purchased including sites at Larkshall Road, Blackhorse Lane and Shernhall Street. By 1897 there were officially 96 factories and workshops and by 1912 there were 110 factories, 138 workshops and 458 workplaces, providing abundant employment locally and positively impacting upon society and economy. The ensuing decades saw an explosion in large-scale and smaller-scale manufacture with factories for almost every possible conceivable product type: electrical engineering, motor vehicles, footwear, clothing (neckties were a notable specialism), food and drink (including brewing), photographic equipment, plastics and lamps. Between 1918 and 1939 the range of products was bolstered with new industries including security systems, batteries and ice
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cream. This manufacturing boom thrived well into the 20th century, but as elsewhere, a gradual decline in industry meant that by the 1970s the major employers had largely departed and the scale of manufacturing in Walthamstow was massively reduced. Although this chapter of Walthamstow’s manufacturing history was closed, in recent years a new chapter has opened, with the setting up of local manufacturers such as Mothers Ruin and Wildcard Brewery. As for the buildings which housed the former slices of economic and social historical life, most are long-since demolished and evidence that they were ever there largely rests upon historical sources including trade directories, photographs, maps and oral histories. If you are interested in finding out more about Walthamstow’s manufacturing past, perhaps wondering whether you live or work close to a former site, then Waltham Forest Archives in Vestry House Museum is the perfect place to start (appointment only). http://www. walthamforest.gov.uk/archives-local-studies www.archangelheritage.co.uk
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LOCAL HERO
Alison Jones
Where and when did you first discover your love of music? When I was 7 I was given a violin at school, took to it and quickly found myself as leader of the school orchestra. At that time in my life everything revolved around classical music and the next obvious step was to continue studying music at college. It didn’t happen though, as I went to art school instead and discovered sex, drugs and rock and roll and with it a whole other world of music. Ever since, I’ve been involved in all aspects of music, from orchestras to theatre and bands, including all-girl cow punk band, “The Well Oiled Sisters.” You were born in Leeds, grew up in Scotland and in your early 20’s you were seduced by the bright lights of Edinburgh. I loved Edinburgh and still do. It was where I really got into performing, playing in pubs and theatres and the music scene at that time was really exciting. I was also approached to set up and run a Bistro called “Tapas”, before tapas became known in the UK, which I subsequently bought and ran for 5 years, before selling it to the Pierre Victoire chain. I’d been accepted for drama school, which helped shape my future performances professionally when I moved to London after graduating. It was now that you got your first taste of touring with a band? Yes, as soon as I moved to London, I was snapped up by The Well Oiled Sisters as their lead fiddle player. They were just on the rise at the time, so we started touring the UK, Eire and eventually we were invited to perform at WOMAD which was a huge honour. To our surprise, we became favourites of theirs for years, appearing in the UK Festivals, Australia, New Zealand and Europe oh yes-and we toured with Morrissey! It was then you discovered the rest of the world, touring with the Spirit of the Dance, before giving it all up and moving to Spain. With Spirit we were literally on a world tour for 24
2 years. It’s Wednesday so it must be Denver. The show was hugely successful but also just plain huge, with so many people involved. It is unbelievably professional but also great fun. I had a brilliant time, learned a lot, but in the end I had had enough and needed some normality in my life. Perhaps I shouldn’t say normality though, as soon after, staying with friends in London, talk turned to Spain and lo and behold I found myself moving to Granada where I stayed for 3 years. You started to work on your musical WILDFIRE! while in Granada. The cost of living was relatively cheap and I’d got quite a bit of money saved from my time with Spirit, so it gave me the opportunity to write and record this epic I’d been planning on tour. WILDFIRE! is a combined arts show incorporating a huge array of instruments and styles both ancient and modern, all based around a legend from Skye. The story has the usual form of a quest so beloved of legends, but more unusually the heroes are women and they are driven to honour the earth. As well as the opportunity to create a large and rich musical canvas, it also offered the chance to explore relevant contemporary themes of female empowerment and the environment. The music was composed on the roof terrace of my house in Granada,
looking at the mountains. I then recorded it all at a studio in the Scottish Borders, where I grew up. WILDFIRE! premiered at St Andrews Homecoming Festival in 2009 to an enthusiastic audience of 2000. A very proud moment indeed. It was the process of attracting funding for the performance of WILDFIRE! that inspired the creation of your not-for-profits organisation Shapeshifter Productions. Yes. I founded Shapeshifter as a performing arts orgranisation, to give me the platform to win financial support for the original production and importantly a two year development grant from Arts Council England leading up to it. The experience of that whole process taught me so much and on gaining charitable status, we have since had the freedom to deliver other original, similarly ambitious work. On moving to Walthamstow eight years ago, I also felt a great need to put back into the community, which has mostly inspired our current work. Something you run through Shapeshifter is the Strung Out Group. I visualise the idea behind Strung Out as taking a violin lying abandoned and unloved in the attic and giving it life. Many charitable projects are quite rightly aimed at teaching the young and getting them involved in music, so I thought what about all those people who might be
Photo © Paul Tucker www.paultucker.co.uk
If you have been out and about at one of the plethora of music events happening in the borough this summer, Alison will already be a familiar face. She is one of the leaders of the 70 strong Walthamstow Acoustic Massive (WAM). But over a drink in regular Stow Festival venue The Rose & Crown Paul Lindt discovered that WAM accounts for just one string to her very well strung bow.
waiting to hear “it’s not too late”. People who may have played when they were young, but who through various reasons haven’t picked up an instrument for years, and then also those who always dreamt of learning and suddenly have the time. Our groups are very informal, non competitive, and for adults of all abilities. The repertoire is varied and it is very much about having fun. You also organise something called The Smiling Sessions which sounds both amazing and exhausting. Another key element for Shapeshifter is our work with the elderly. Currently funded by Red Nose (Comic Relief) and The Arts Council, we deliver The Smiling Sessions to sheltered housing schemes and care homes around Waltham Forest and East London. Put simply, it is a good old fashioned sing song. Re-introducing songs from way back into these peoples lives has an amazing effect. We help the groups choose their favourites, compile a songbook which we then all learn together and at the end of the project, they keep it, along with a CD. We recently had our very first cockney knees up! There is recent research that musical memory reactivates certain parts of the brain for dementia suffers, which is interesting but all I can say is it definitely brings back sunshine
and fellowship into people’s lives, many of whom sadly have no family or visitors. Shapeshifter projects rely on support from volunteers. What sort of things do people get involved with and how can they get involved? Our small team of volunteers are invaluable to the growth and development of the charity. Their work is essential in helping us deliver the projects. We are always looking for motivated people who are keen to develop or contribute their skills in fundraising, marketing, events management, or simply befriending our elderly singers. We also occasionally offer internships. So if any of this sounds like you, please get in touch. Many people locally would have seen you performing with the Walthamstow Acoustic Massive (WAM) at events such as July’s Walthamstow Garden Party and last month’s Stow Festival. WAM represents the coming together of quite a lot of talent, doesn’t it? Yes, put simply, WAM is an amazing collaboration of acoustic music and singing groups from Waltham Forest. My Strung Out players join Dick Smith with his posse of banjos and ukuleles and we now audition singers from all over the borough. With around 70 members, aged 18-80, we are more than capable of making quite a
noise! The quality is outstanding, and we have been lucky enough to receive Arts Council funding for 3 years, which means we can invite professionals to join us. Anyone who has seen our performances will know we can produce amazing results. We are building quite a reputation and such wonderful friendships and new found skills have evolved. Finally in terms of Waltham Forest, turn the clock forward 5 years, what would you like to see for the area’s future musically? A rich and vibrant music scene obviously! With a good range of performance spaces readily available from the very tiny and intimate ones to those capable of holding “big name” bands, orchestras and choirs plus their audiences of course. Sadly, currently it is still difficult to find places to perform locally, except as part of some bigger event like the Garden Party and even harder when you’re a band of 70+! info@shapeshifter-productions.com www.shapeshifter-productions.com Facebook.com/shapeshifterproductions Registered charity no: 1141763 www.localgiving.com/charity/ shapeshifterproductions www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ smilingsessions/
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Marsh Street was the original name of Walthamstow High Street where a number of large manor houses were used as weekend or summer retreats. Samuel Pepys’ bosses had houses here, and after visiting one of them Pepys described how they had drunk wine from a local vineyard and “the whole company said they never drank better foreign wine [than this one] in their lives”.
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Walthamstow Diary Between forest and marsh lies the glorious Stow. These are the tales and meanderings of a proud resident of E17 Back in August I wrote a post on www. walthamstowdiary.com about the Dukes Head on Wood Street. This big old pub had been closed for a while but had re-opened after it acquired some new owners and received a bit of a face lift. From that first visit I thought the refurb had been done well, it looked like the new Dukes could be on to a winner. I’ve been back a few times and still think the same. It seems not everyone agrees with me, and not just about the Dukes Head, but the state of Walthamstow pubs in general. A number of people commented on the blog, and a fair few more took the time to email me their thoughts. I heard from a lot of people who like the current selection of pubs in E17, but I also heard from people who, to be blunt, think that Walthamstow pubs have been ruined. Whilst this isn’t an opinion I share, it is one I found incredibly interesting.
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The main argument put across was simply this, pubs are no longer for local people, they are for yuppies, in-comers who are driving out long time locals. I confess that I love the rebirth of Walthamstow’s pubs that has happened in recent years. I suppose it all started with the Rose & Crown becoming a hub for community activity, then the Bell and Chequers got their refurbs and we haven’t looked back since. I agree that many of our local pubs are different to how they were, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Pubs need to be multi-purpose to survive. People expect to be able to take their family to the pub, get good food, watch sports, listen to DJ’s and dance to live music, all whilst drinking real ale, lager, cocktails and wine. A sticky carpet and a pool table simply no longer cut the mustard. I would much rather have a pub with a scrabble board and some kids running around it, than a pub that is closed and turned in to a block of flats. www.walthamstowdiary.com
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Aubrey Road E17 Offers in excess of ÂŁ650,000
This delightful 2/3 bedroom 19th century semi-detached cottage is loaded with character, original features and has been tastefully decorated throughout. Located a short distance from central Walthamstow for shops, restaurants, excellent schools and good transport links. A side entrance brings you into the hallway and lounge with its original sash windows, cast iron fireplace and stripped floor. The adjoining dining room is bright and airy and a tremendous space for entertaining or family use. The well appointed shaker style kitchen give access through to the family bathroom. On the first floor, there is one single and two delightful double bedrooms. Outside, the wonderful garden is a glorious burst of colour and greenery.
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5. Coppermill Lane E17 1 bed flat for sale Offers in excess of £350,000
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6. Jewel Road E17 4 bed terraced house for sale Guide price £850,000
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7. Evelyn Street E17 3 bed terraced house for sale Offers in excess of £450,000 8. Boundary Road E17 2 bed flat for sale Offers in excess of £350,000
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October’s gallery
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3. Pembroke Road E17 4 bed terraced house for sale Offers in region of £900,000 4. Marten Road E17 3 bed terraced house for sale Offers in excess of £540,000
1 4 1. Lennox Road E17 3 bed end terrace house for sale Offers in excess of £450,000 2. Shernhall Street E17 3 bed terraced house for sale Offers in region of £565,000
Walthamstow’s Estate Agent
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020 8520 9300 40 Orford Road E17
MAKING WAVES Saturday 10 October - Sunday 1 November 2015 Waves personify potential energy which is a great metaphor for this exciting new gallery space. So for our very first show we present a selection of bold and beautiful contemporary art with a moving water motif.
Video still from short film ‘JMW Turner paints Magnus Irvin’ being shown in the exhibition © Magnus Irvin
WALTHAMSTOW VILLAGE WINDOW GALLERY
A new & unusual street-facing exhibition space. Visit the website to sign up for news & artist opportunities. Village Square 47 Orford Road Walthamstow E17 9NJ @wvwg_e17 wvwg.co.uk